Effervescent sodium perborate



m ma Mar. 24, 1936 PATENT OFFICE EFFEBVESGENT SODIUM MOB-ATE PhilipFleischman, New

ten one-hundredth: to York. N. Y.

York, N. 2., assignmof Louis Sohumaoher, New

No Drawing. Application ml'llll'y 10. 1934. eel-m No. 110,152

lCil-im.

This invention relates to efiervescent salts and to methods of makingthe same and of treating materials therewith.

One object oi the invention is to provide an improved gas liberating andgas propelling substance which may be applied to operate in situ; and asupplemental object of the invention is the provision of an improvedmixture adapted to liberate nascent oxygen and a propellent gas for theoxygen or mixture, whereby the penetrability of the oxygen is uniformlysubstantially increased, and the resultant products are substantiallyneutral, so that treatment with the nascent oxygen may be had ofrelatively delicate fibers or materials, such as the flesh o! a person'smouth.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a mixtureof a perborate or the like and an effervescent substance, where thelatter may include a mild acid and alkali, with an agent to preventpremature reaction or breaking up oi the perborate and the mixture beingin powdered form for convenient and instant application as desired.

Another object of the invention is to furnish a perborate or otheroxygen liberating compound mixed with materials that are hygroscopic orotherwise tend to attract water vapor, such as essential oils, and anagent to prevent the compound mentioned from being ailected bysurrounding water vapor, so that the stability of the compound ismaintained.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved combined mouthwash and tooth powder, having scouring and oxygen liberating qualities,and nevertheless normally stable, and with the ingredients combined toserve the common purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking a stable mixture as set forth, in a simple inexpensive manner.

Another object is to furnish a new method of applying nascent oxygen forrapid, convenient, inexpensive and eficient treatment over a relativelylarge surface, as may be desired.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe specification proceeds.

It will be understood that the different ingredients may be used indifierent proportions, and that some may be omitted or replaced byequivalents, and that the processes may be varied in regard to thenature and order of the steps em ployed, and that some steps may beomitted or replaced by others that are substantially equivalent thereto.

Essential characteristics ot the invention reside in greatly increasedpalatability, greater speed of gas liberation, and superior therapeuticqualities for the treatment of pyorrliea and ginsivitis.

Referring in detail to the invention, the use of a perborate such assodium perborate for liberating oxygen when in contact with water iswell known. The sodium perborate has also been mixed with aromatic oilsand other ingredients to improve the taste thereof. Even when enclosedin a suitably tight container. the perborate, if it stands too long,loses its strength by gradual disintegration. In any case, theliberation of oxygen thereby is comparatively weak and slow. Variousattempts have been made to improve these conditions, but the provisionof a cheap readily applied mixture which will obviate all the defectsmentioned, and being in a form such as powder, has never been heretoforeaccomplished.

The invention may be best understood by reference to a specific exampleand the method of making and using the invention. The ingredients arepreferably made up and mixed in groups as follows, and the groupsthereafter combined in one mixture.

The process of making the mixture is practiced in a reasonably dryatmosphere at ordinary or room temperature. All the ingredients powderedor granular, are free of water, except that the perborate and the acidmay contain some water of crystallization. The tartaric or other acidthat may be used is preferably granular or as coarse as possibleconsistent with the fineness of the mixture. This could be removed onlyby heating, with consequent disintegration ot the perborate. Group I ismade by forcibly mixing or merely agitating or shaking together theperborate and the stearate in a suitable container. Group Ha is made byforcible mixing or rubbing together of the stearate and the aromaticoils until the mixture is uniform and wholly dry. In this manner thestearate absorbs or coats the oil particles so that the latter, beinghighly volatile and tending consequently to absorb moisture, are keptout of direct contact with the atmosphere. The sodium bicarbonate isthen added and thoroughly agitated to produce a substantially uniformmixture of the stearate, bicarbonate and oils. By adding the bicarbonatelast, any moisture or water vapor held by the oils cannot materiallyaffect the bicarbonate. The third group is made by mixing or shakingtogether the tartaric acid and the colloidal clay.

There are now three separate groups of mixtures, of which the activeingredients have their particles coated with suitable bufier orseparating materials, including the stearate and the kaolin. The firsttwo are now mixed together by agitating or shaking, and thereafter thethird group is intermixed therewith by agitating or shaking. Since thetartaric acid and the sodium bicarbonate tend to combine to neutralizeeach other and liberate a gas, it will be perceived that this isprevented by the interposition of a plurality of different inert orcoating materials. Likewise the sodium perborate is similarly separatedfrom the tartaric acid; so that any water contained by the latter isunavailable, to initiate a reaction between the bicarbonate and theacid. The significance in using two buffer materials, such as thestearate and the colloidal clay is that greater protection against watervapor is afforded, since the resistance or adhesion between dissimilarmaterials is greater than between similar materials. For the samereasons, the sodium perborate particles may, if desired, be coated withtheir individual material such as fullers earth, or the like, in placeof the sodium stearate.

It will be understood that the aromatic oils may be omitted, and are ofimportance mainly to improve the taste or odor of the preparation wherethe same is applied in the mouth of a person.

The proportions of the ingredients as above given may be readily variedby plus or minus 2ipercentrw'lfhusintheicaseoLGroup .I, the!) /9,.

grams to 10 grams of sodium perborate may be mixed with 2 grams ofmagnesium stearate. Likewise 5 to 11 grams of sodium bicarbonate may bemixed with 4 grams of magnesium stearate. Similarly approximately 5 to10 grams of tartaric acid may be mixed with 2 grams of colloidal clay.While the sodium perborate is approximately 25 percent of the completemixture, it may be made to vary according to the ranges above given, andin any case between 10 and 50 percent, with desirable results, but mayalso be greater or less. The best results have been obtained with theproportions given in the table, according to the object of the inventionof using the minimum amount of the buffer or separating material so asto permit the most rapid possible efiervescent action, and yet employingsumcient of the material to reasonably maintain the stability of thepreparation. It is noted that a heavier coating of the buifer is used onthe bicarbonate than on the perborate, as the former must be betterprotected from the acid. At the same time the clay used with the acid isa superior butter to the stearate, and hence my be used in a lesserproportion.

Within the ranges above given, other materials may be substituted forthose above mentioned, as follows: Instead of sodium perborate, calciumand other p'erborates may be used, or even sodium peroxide, although thelatter is less desirable when the preparation is to be used in themouth. Generally, any material which liberates oxygen when in contactwith water may be used. In place of sodium bicarbonate, magnesium orother bicarbonates, carbonates, and in general any salt adapted toliberate a relatively inert or neutral gas such as carbon dioxide. As asubstitute for tartaric acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and ingeneral, all mild acids, such as fruit acids may be employed. Instead ofmagnesium stearate, one may use zinc stearate, zinc polymtate, zincoleate, magnesium resinate or even magnesium carbonate or oxide, as thelatter may be so used as to be very slow in action and hencesubstantially neutral. Furthermore, fatty acid salts, resinates, andarobates may be substitutes for the magnesium stearate. For colloidalclay, there can be substituted lycopodium, infusorial earth, fullersearth, bentonite, and the like, it being understood that the range forthe buffer or separating materials is very great,'since they'are inertand operate mainly in the physical sense.

It is noted that the bicarbonate is added to 11a, in preference to thefruit acid, since the latter loses moisture rapidly, and if some mois--ture should contact the oil, the latter would absorb and distribute thesame. The fruit acid is the primary disturbing factor to .be considered.On the other hand, the perborate and the bicarbonate are compatible andare comparatively easily handled.

It will be understood that magnesium stearate and colloidal clay, aswell as their equivalents -mentioned, may be interchangeably used withthe other ingredients set forth. Thus the colloidal clay may be used inGroups I 'and II in substantially the same proportions in place of themagnesium stearate, and the latter used in Group III in place of thecolloidal clay. With less satisfactory results, a single buffer materialin the proportions mentioned may be used throughout, such as thestearate or the clay.

The combination of the stearate and the clay affords the most desirablebuffer, because the use of the clay alone would render the preparationtoo heavy and retard the action and effervescence, while the use of thestearate alone would render the preparation so light in weight that itwould be readily dissipated by any atmospheric disturbance. By employingboth of these or suitable equivalents thereof, not only is a powder ofthe most desirable weight obtained,,especially for use in the mouth, butthe clay may form a gel with water and may operate as a cleansing ormild scouring agent whereby the preparation is capable of use both as amouth wash and as a tooth Eggdgr. Moreover, the clay is superior e s areas a buifer.

The tartaric or citric acid may contain their water of crystallization,and being granular, effectively retain such water within themselves.

It will be noted that the bicarbonate and the acid are generallyrepresentative of any materials which will react to rapidly evolve agas.

and preferably neutralize each other in so doing.

As hereinbefore stated, all ingredients are desirably as free aspossible of water, and the buffer material is advantageouslynon-hygroscopic and insoluble in water.

A feature of the invention resides in the use of oil soluble dyes as aconstituent of the aromatic oils, whereby the preparation is suitablycolored, and will not color the mouth as would be the case if a watersoluble dye were used. The liberation of nascent oxygen provides thepreparation with a. bleaching quality which can be utilized for variousdifferent purposes or in diiierent arts.

If a perborate or the equivalent be used which has a greater amount ofwater of crystallization, or is more susceptible to the eli'ects oimoisture or vapor, the percentage of coating or buffer material may beincreased as necessary, and likewise if effervescent salts be used whichhave a greater afiinity for each other than those men- 'tioned, thereverse is likewise true, but in general, all the various equivalentsmentioned may be used in proportions within or throughout the rangeshereinbefore given.

The preparation is intended to be immediately packed in water proofpreferably air tight containers, in which condition the preparation isstable for very long periods of time, as against prior preparations ofthe perborate in which the latter disintegrates comparatively rapidlyeven in a substantially airtight container.

In use, a quantity of the preparation is thickly spread as a powder onan object that is to be treated, as, for example, on the gums of themouth, for which purpose a layer one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inchthick is satisfactory. Upon contact with water or the saliva of themouth, the perborate begins to liberate nascent oxygen and thebicarbonate and the acid react with each other so as to rapidly liberatecarbon dioxide, the effervescence causing an agitation of the powderwhereby the speed of liberation of the gases is further increased, andgreatly increasing the penetration of the nascent oxygen into the objectthat is being treated In other words, the effervescent gas acts as apropellant for the nascent oxygen, being liberated in greater quantityand at higher velocity than the oxygen. A substantial area may thus betreated and the overlying powder envelopes and concentrates aconsiderable portion of the evolving.

gases. In applying the preparation to the gums oi the mouth, the actiondescribed may be suflicient in itself to clean the gums and teeth. Ifdesired, a person may use his finger to rub the powder over the teeth, abrush being unnecessary. Thereafter, the surface treated may be merelyrinsed with water, and the treatment is completed. However, a quantityof the preparation may be placed in water and taken into the mouth toact as a mouth wash.

For the treatment of pyorrhea and gingivitis, the preparation must beapplied to the gums in dry powder form and massaged vigorously over thegums. Such agitation together with the evolving of carbon dioxide breaksup the particles and renders the liberation of oxygen almostinstantaneous. For the same reasons the penetrability of the oxygen andhence the therapeutic quality of the mixture are substantially improved.The unpalatibility of sodium perborate, which is not wholly successivelydiminished by the use of flavoring agents alone, is substantiallyconcealed by the liberated carbon dioxide gas.

When used with water, a few drops of water are successively placed on aquantity of the preparation to initiate the efiervescence and then thepreparation is taken into the mouth without further addition of water.

I claim:

A finely intermixed composition including sodium perborate, essentialoils, and sodium bicarbonate, the particles of each having a coating ofa stearate mixed with the essential oils, and

1c aci of colloidal clay. M PHILIP FLEISCHMAN.

he particles of which have a coating

